A modern horror classic

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2014)

Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" arrived at a time when zombies in film and TV weren't nearly as popular as they are today. The movie reinvigorated the zombie sub-genre through its unique spin on the creatures that departed from traditional representations.
Here, the 'zombies' (who are never referred to as such in the film) are human beings infected with a virus that turns them into mindless, raging brutes. Thus, they represent a significant deviation from the shambling monstrosities popularized by George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead".
The movie is set in England and takes place 28 days after the introduction of the virus into the population. At that time the country has mostly been evacuated, which leads to an eerie sense of desolation in the early stages of the film. This effectively sets the stage for the chaos to come. From there, the movie mostly steers clear of cliché horror devices and makes good use of an intelligent script.
The cast is a well assembled unit headed by Cillian Murphy. Brendan Gleeson makes a memorable appearance in support, as does Christopher Eccleston. Naomie Harris also proves capable in the lead female role.
Danny Boyle's direction is as appealing as always but the use of digital cameras resulted in a not especially attractive look, mainly due to the lower resolution in comparison to film. Meanwhile, the movie's score and soundtrack, while effective, are rarely as memorable as in other Boyle efforts.
Overall, "28 Days Later" is an effective horror movie with considerable artistic flair. I don't think that it's flawless but it's definitely worth watching regardless of your affinity for the genre (particularly if you're an admirer of Danny Boyle's work).